


all the comforts of home

by daisylincs



Series: Agents of Birthdays [14]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Agents of Birthdays, Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Canon Compliant, Comfort, Dancing, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Gift Fic, Happy Birthday Giorgia!!, Minor Season 7 Spoilers, Post-Finale, birthday fic, mackelena
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:33:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27913840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daisylincs/pseuds/daisylincs
Summary: After the events of the finale, Mack and Elena take a moment to themselves to relax and find comfort with each other.
Relationships: Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie/Yo Yo Rodriguez
Series: Agents of Birthdays [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1886911
Comments: 5
Kudos: 19





	all the comforts of home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [giorgiaink](https://archiveofourown.org/users/giorgiaink/gifts).



> Dear Giorgia, 
> 
> Well, first of all, here’s to wishing you a very happy birthday!! Or, as you might say, _buon compleanno!_
> 
> At least… I _hope_ that’s what you’d say, because we all, uh, know the reliability of Google Translate, lol. But I’m hoping the message does get across, and that you really do have an absolutely lovely day!
> 
> I can still recall the first time we met on Tumblr, via the ever-so-wonderful mutual bond - and I can still remember, very vividly, thinking how _cool_ it was to have an artist for a mutual/friend! I can’t draw to save my life, but I take my hat off to anyone who can, and very, very much admire them!
> 
> I also distinctly remember appreciating your love for Mackelena - because, let’s face it, these two are _horribly_ underappreciated for what a good ship they are! I’m really glad, actually, to have this birthday-chance to create something for them, and try to capture their beautiful love in words.
> 
> This is set directly after the One Year Later outro of the finale, and, yes, I _know_ Mack and Elena were in wildly different places then in canon, but we’re brushing that aside here so we can have some soft, lovely domestic fluff. Cool? Cool.
> 
> Giorgia, I hope you enjoy this little piece of Mackelena soft-and-sweetness, and then once again from the bottom of my heart: _tanti auguri a te!_

Mack closed the door of their apartment quietly behind him, careful not to let it slam behind him. 

Yes, _apartment -_ if he was being honest, he still wasn't used to it. He had lived on a SHIELD base - or _plane,_ for that matter - for farlonger than he had ever even dreamed he would, and he just wasn't _used_ to normal suburban life anymore. 

But, being the Director of SHIELD came with a good few perks - the biggest of which, of course, would always be Yoyo. _Elena._

He liked to think she'd be one of his perks even if he _wasn't_ the Director. It was stupid, and whimsical, and he _knew_ that - but it was still a sweet dream to think they would have met in some way even if it wasn't for their crazy lifestyle. 

And, yes, he was a romantic - maybe it was an engineer thing - but he liked to think they just… fit together like that. 

He couldn't keep the smile off his face as he put down his keys and stack of files, helping himself to one of the apples Jemma had sent - which, apparently, had been co-grown by Alya in her natural biology phase, and were one hundred percent organic. 

He cast a cursory glance around the room as he bit into his apple, wondering if Elena was home yet. It could go either way, really - they were just about equally busy, and had an equal chance of coming home late. 

He smiled fondly at the thought. Elena wasn't SHIELD's most decorated agent for no reason! She was damn excellent at what she did. 

Just as he thought that, the door swung open, and Elena walked in, her red leather jacket swung casually over one shoulder. 

She shook her head wryly when she saw him. "Aw, the Turtleman made it home before me?" 

"It's good to see you too," he said, his lips tugging up in a playful half-grin. 

She grinned too, her eyes crinkling with smile lines and her entire posture softening, relaxing as she walked into the kitchen and towards him. 

"Hi," she said when she reached him, stopping right in front of him and smiling up at him, warm and open and unguarded. 

"Hi," he replied warmly, carefully brushing a strand of hair out of her face. His hand lingered on her cheek for a moment, and she reached to place her palm over his. 

Her hand tingled slightly on top of his, but otherwise, he would _never_ have been able to tell that it wasn't truly a human hand. 

It didn't matter to him, though, not at all. It was still _Elena._

Her eyes were closed, he realised now as he looked down at her, and she was leaning into his touch a bit more heavily than she usually would. She looked… tired. Very much so. 

Well, that wasn't surprising - this had been an exhausting day, both physically and emotionally. 

"How are you doing?" he asked softly, tracing a small circle on her cheek with a tender thumb. 

She opened her eyes slowly, and smiled up at him, tired but still warm and genuine. “I’m fine, Turtleman.” 

“You sure about that?” he asked, half-raising his eyebrows affectionately. “Even SHIELD’s most decorated agent needs to rest sometimes, you know.” 

She laughed, her eyes crinkling with fond smile lines. “I could say the same for the Director,” she reminded him, stepping a little closer to nudge his hip. 

“Mm, true enough,” he agreed, easing his hand out from under hers and flipping it over so he could lace their fingers together. He looked at their hands for a moment, then raised his gaze slowly back to her eyes. 

She had been looking at their hands too, and it was hard to tell what she had been thinking. He knew she hadn’t always been comfortable with the replacement arms, perfect as they were, but he thought she had made her peace with them soon after they had met Alya.

She confirmed this by looking up when she sensed his gaze, her expression softening into a smile. “What is it?” she asked knowingly.

He squeezed her hand gently. “Well, since we’re both such workaholics, as Jemma would put it… why don’t we do something to relax together?” 

Her eyebrows lifted, and she shot him a curious look. “Oh? What do you have in mind?” 

He gestured at the small wireless radio Fitz had gifted them a few months ago, knowing Mack’s love for trinkets - and, right on cue, John Legend’s _All of Me_ began to play.

Elena’s eyebrows raised further, and then she rolled her eyes. “You planned this, didn’t you, Turtleman?” 

“What, are you suggesting I deliberately came home earlier so I could set up the radio with your favourite song for slow-dancing?” he asked, raising his eyebrows in a near-perfect imitation of her.

She rolled her eyes again, but she was smiling, too, her gaze full of deep affection. “You’re sweet, Turtleman,” she said, stepping right up close to him and resting her free hand on his shoulder.

He moved _his_ other arm to circle around her waist, his hand resting gently on her hip, while gently adjusting their clasped hands to a more comfortable position for dancing. “Just for you, Yoyo,” he said softly. 

_‘Cause all of me loves all of you,_ the singer crooned over the radio, and Mack grinned down at her, squeezing her hand. “That.” 

She looked like she might roll her eyes again, but instead she just shook her head, not even trying to hide her grin. Leaning forward, she rested her head against his chest, exhaling softly as she began to sway to the rhythm of the song.

Today had been an incredibly draining day, both work-wise and emotionally - they had both known it wouldn’t be easy to see the team again, and then leave them after just one conversation to go back to the crazy ride that was SHIELD life.

And it _hadn’t_ been easy, not at all.

But they had each other, now and forever.

_Love your curves and all your edges,_  
---  
_All your perfect imperfections._  
_Give your all to me,_  
_I’ll give my all to you._  
_You’re my end and my beginning,_  
_Even when I lose a winning._  
_‘Cause I give you all of me,_  
_And you give me all of you._  
  
"Are you sure you're okay?" Mack asked in a voice barely louder than a whisper as the last notes of the song faded away, his hands brushing soothing circles on her hips. 

They had all but stopped moving now, only barely swaying from side to side in the same place - but Elena closed her eyes and smiled contentedly regardless. 

"I am now." 


End file.
